Welcome to the Fort Collins Science Center

...Developing and disseminating science-based information and tools needed for understanding the Nation’s biological resources in support of effective decision making.

Learn more about the Fort Collins Science Center

Fiscal Year 2008 Accomplishments

Driving Directions

Giant Constrictor Snakes in Florida

USGS scientists are investigating the ecology and control of giant constrictors in Florida.

National Ecological Observatory Network

FORT scientist lends invasive species forecasting and biodiversity assessment expertise to planning for this nationwide observation system.

Following Sirenia’s Song

DOI award lauds 32-year career of research zoologist Tom O’Shea.

Jonah Infill Data Management System

A new Web application supports decisionmaking related to oil and gas reclamation at the Jonah Natural Gas Field, Wyo.

Bats on the Brink

White-nose syndrome threatens the survival of hibernating cave bats in North America.

Climate Change Science

FORT scientists investigate and forecast probable biological responses and associated impacts of climate variability and change.

Bat Mortality and Wind Power

FORT scientists work to discover why migratory bats die at considerably higher rates than birds and nonmigratory bats at wind turbines.

Smart River GIS

This new modeling tool helps managers understand complex ecological interactions in river systems for improved decisionmaking.

Stalking Snakes

A “rapid responder” and his team work 24/7 to prevent a highly invasive, destructive snake from colonizing other Pacific islands—or the continent.

Finding the Delicate Balance

FORT scientists study how to conserve vulnerable sagebrush systems and wildlife facing increased impacts from land-use change.

In the News

It’s an Ill Wind that Blows: New Study Documents How Airborne Nitrogen Undermines Food Chain in Alpine Lakes

Increasing emissions from motor vehicles, energy production and agriculture are causing more nitrogen to be deposited in remote lakes and watersheds in Colorado and around the world, directly affecting the life they contain. Although increased concentrations of nitrogen in alpine lakes from air pollution have been widely reported, two new studies published in Science and Ecology are the first to more completely document just how this increased nitrogen affects lake biology and food webs. The authors, including FORT research ecologist Jill Baron, found that in the presence of too much nitrogen, the algae at the base of the food web are of much poorer quality for zooplankton, the small swimming animals that eat them. These findings are important for those who manage water-quality issues in remote, low-nutrient lakes because they show that sustained increases in atmospheric nitrogen deposition may eventually influence the entire food web of these lakes, including fish. Studies in Colorado, Norway, and Sweden show that the nutrient status of lakes is disrupted in all three regions due to human-caused atmospheric nitrogen deposition.

Too Much of a Good Thing: Increasing Nitrogen Deposition in Lakes (podcast)